Judging from Syria, the United States is still putting down stakes in the Middle East. At least two thousand U.S. troops have an open-ended commitment to secure areas liberated from Islamic State group (ISG) rule.

Israel may be rocketing ahead in high tech, but commuters are increasingly stuck in gridlock. With three-and-a-half times more vehicles per kilometer than the average OECD country, Israeli roads are among the most congested in the developed world.